News – Sheridan Media
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On August 7, The Brinton Museum in Big Horn announced that it is proud to present William Gollings: Collected Treasures, on view August 14 through December 21, 2026. The exhibition celebrates the life and work of William Gollings, whose artistic legacy remains deeply connected to Sheridan, the historic Quarter Circle A Ranch, and the American West. There will be a reception on Friday, August 14, from 6:00–8:00 p.m., and it is free and open to the public.
As part of The Brinton’s 2026 theme, “Our Legends”, this exhibition showcases the breadth of Gollings’s artistic career and celebrates the work of this Wyoming legend. Elling William “Bill” Gollings (1878-1932) was an artist known for his realistic depictions of cowboy life, with strong ties to Sheridan, Wyoming and to the Quarter Circle A Ranch.
E. William Gollings, Travois in the Snow (1914), courtesy of the Brinton Museum
Gollings was obsessed with the West that he had first encountered as a young boy in the 1880s and when he returned in the 1890s after a decade attending school and working in Chicago. Yet he was not content to draw and paint a romanticized Old West. Gollings spent at least five years making a living as a cowboy. He knew the hard life of the cowhand, herding and branding cattle in the summer and working odd jobs in the winter. He worked close to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and befriended Cheyenne people while fencing off white property and their cattle. After moving to Sheridan, where he had his studio, Gollings focused on painting the older West before railroads, mining, and homesteading changed its identity. His experiences as a cowboy and friend to the Northern Cheyenne led him to create realistic artworks that captured the spirit of the West.
E. William Gollings, Bad Actor AKA Hanging it to Him (1915), Whitney Benefits Foundation Courtesy of Brinton Museum
This exhibition features works from private collections that have rarely if ever been shown at The Brinton Museum. These loans, supplemented by a few works from The Brinton Museum collection, represent some of the best paintings, etchings, and drawings created by Gollings. They show the breadth of themes that always occupied him: the history of the Old West, especially of Cowboys and Indians set against the open range of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.
Through select themes including Gollings’ relationship with the region and depictions of ranch life, Native Americans, and working animals, this exhibition tells the story of Gollings’ West, how he preserved its old ways and turned them into painted legends. Jochen Wierich, Curatorial Director at The Brinton Museum adds, “We are honored to celebrate Bill Gollings by focusing on rarely seen loans from private collections in Sheridan and beyond. This survey of paintings, drawings, and etchings confirms that Gollings holds a special place in the art history of the American West. He found inspiration in the West he knew so well from life along the Wyoming – Montana border, and he knew how to glorify it in his art.”
Statue of Gollings in Kendrick Park, Sheridan (Vannoy photo)
Founded in 1960, The Brinton Museum is dedicated to preserving the art, history, and culture of the American West. Located on the historic Quarter Circle A Ranch in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, the museum features 19th, 20th, and 21st century Fine Art and American Indian Art in a historic Western setting.
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Last modified: August 9, 2026